INDIANAPOLIS — The NHRA Countdown to the Championship playoffs are set to open at this weekend’s 39th annual Pep Boys NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., and it’s a postseason filled with excitement and plenty of intriguing storylines in the Top Fuel category.
Heading into the playoff opener at the fan-favorite facility in Reading, let’s look at some of the top storylines in Top Fuel:
HOW DOES KALITTA RECOVER?
By nearly every account, it’s been a banner 2024 for Kalitta, who followed up his first world title in 2023 by leading the points for the bulk of this season. But the points leader failed to qualify at the U.S. Nationals – the first time the veteran hasn’t qualified in a remarkable 301 races over 14 years.
How he responds at Maple Grove Raceway is a massive question to open the playoffs. Last year, Kalitta won in Reading (and then Charlotte) to start his championship surge and he’ll look to put that Indy disappointment behind him as quickly as possible.
IS IT ASHLEY’S TIME?
Ashley has been atop the Top Fuel field in the postseason each of the past two years, and was the points leader earlier this season, too. He’s learned valuable lessons each of the past two seasons, but the team seems eager for redemption after some playoff slip-ups in 2022 and 2023.
Ashley enters the Countdown to the Championship second in points and is ready to pounce, especially with Shawn Langdon, Steve Torrence and Antron Brown right behind him.
WHO MAKES A MOVE?
Kalitta won three times in the playoffs a season ago, coming all the way from sixth to claim the championship in dramatic fashion. Is there a driver who gets hot at the perfect time in 2024?
Clay Millican starts in sixth this year, riding high from his U.S. Nationals win, while the likes of Brittany Force (ninth) and Top Fuel rookie Tony Stewart (seventh) seem to be peaking at an ideal time.